After sufferingRead more through so many mediocre-to-awful Lieder recitals in recent years, it was almost like going on vacation to hear this splendid collection of Wolf’s pivotal song cycles. Except for some strident sounds from soprano Steinberger when she sings up high under pressure, this was for the most part a delightful presentation of these songs, in part because, despite her shortcomings, Steinberger has great clarity of diction and is an interesting interpreter. Baritone Holzmair, who possesses one of those light, bright, Willi Domgraf-Fassbaender kind of voices, is also an exceptional interpreter; and so, since most of the Spanisches Liederbuch rests with them, their presentation of those songs have an almost X-ray quality to them. I’ll say one thing for Steinberger, and this is a compliment, she really “goes for the gusto” in these songs, usually holding nothing back emotionally. When mezzo-soprano Selinger appears in some of the “sacred songs” of this set, we hear a smooth, mellifluous voice with a typically Germanic “edge” to it and equally fine interpretive qualities. Pianist Ryan, though very fine in his accompaniments, does not play quite strongly enough at times for my taste, but there is no question that he is a fine musician who understands the style of these songs.

This set made an interesting comparison to the famous 1992–94 recordings of these songs by Olaf Bär and Anne Sofie von Otter (EMI 555325, 2 CDs), accompanied by the late Geoffrey Parsons (he died in 1995, shortly after the set was completed). In the secular songs, Bär and Otter swap four of them, the baritone singing “Komm, o Tod, von Nacht umgeben” and “Dereinst, dereinst, Gedanke mein” while the mezzo takes “Liebe mir im Busen” and “Alle gingen, Herz, zur Ruh.” Otter, whose voice was at its peak then (a dozen years hence it became frayed and strained above the break), is consistently interesting, in fact a bit more so than Steinberger, and her tone production and technique are flawless in that the notes fall from her lips like so many pearls. I found myself in awe of her virtuosic combination of vocalism and interpretive skill, and Parsons’s accompaniments are a bit more interesting than everyone else’s. Bär, too, is generally good in the secular songs, though not superior to Holzmair. Yet the religious songs, which on this recording lead off their set, are almost stultifying in their leaden tempos and overly-cautious phrasing, and this goes for both singers. Consider these timing differences:

Song

Bär-Otter

Selinger-Holzmair

Wunden trägst du, mein Geliebter

5:12

4:23

Nun bin ich dein

5:00

4:05

Müh’voll komm’ ich und beladen

5:07

3:58

Die du Gott gebarst, du Reine

3:22

2:06

Ach, wie lang die Seele schlummert

3:25

3:07

Nun wandre, Maria

2:58

2:31

Ach, des Knaben Augen

1:42

1:45

Führ mich, Kind, nach Bethlehem

3:09

2:52

Die ihr schwebet

3:14

2:42

Herr, was trägt der Boden hier

3:02

2:59

Except for the seventh and 10th songs, these differences are not inconsequential. One wonders if the decision to drag these songs out was initiated by Bär, whose arrangement of the Liederbuch is used here, or Parsons, but considering that the pianist was famed (as was Gerald Moore) for brisk tempos as a rule, I’d guess the former without knowing for certain. Moreover, the presentation of the songbook (Bär’s decision) places all the sacred songs first, which casts a pall on one’s listening experience from the first note and for the ensuing 37 minutes. Thus, even if one already owns the Bär-Otter recording, I still recommend the Bridge version for the overall greater liveliness of the sacred songs.

This performance of the Italienishces Liederbuch is just as good if not better, largely because mezzo Selinger is the only female voice and she doesn’t tend to shrillness at full volume on her high notes. There are so many wonderful performances within this cycle that delineating them all would be a futile exercise. Why go over particular details when the whole thing is so good? I certainly won’t pretend that Selinger’s voice is as varied in coloration as Janet Baker’s, or that Hozmair’s timbre can match the wonderfully dark bass-baritone sound of John Shirley-Quirk, but if the Baker/Shirley-Quirk recording (a live performance, actually, which wasn’t even issued until 2012) didn’t exist, I would have no hesitation in proclaiming this the finest Italienishces Liederbuch ever recorded.

A splendid release, then, made all the better by the fact that all the words are included in the booklet. No downloading from the Internet or opening up a PDF file from a CD-ROM to read it on your computer screen. Hooray for Albany! And you’ll be thinking “Hooray for Albany!” too, when you hear this superb release.

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review: ( 2 Customer Reviews )

Wolf Spanish and Italian SongbooksFebruary 6, 2014By A. Jessop (Glasgow, South Lanarkshire)See All My Reviews"The Spanish and Italian Song-books as dramas. While Hugo Wolf s fame rests on his lieder he himself hankered after success in larger musical forms, and indeed had one complete, and one unfinished, opera to his name. After listening to this recording of the Spanish and Italian song-books, I found myself reflecting that he would very likely have appreciated its almost operatic impact. The Italian song-book lends itself particularly well to a dramatic presentation but its Spanish counterpart can be more problematic; the published order puts 10 fervent religious songs at the beginning and follows them by 34 secular songs of varying length and character, creating two unequal parts that dont seem to be particularly well-matched, at least not to the inexpert ear. Performances of the complete book are infrequent. In the Bridge release Wolfgang Holzmair does not follow the published order, instead he embeds the religious songs in the middle of the secular set as a sort of mystical centre, the beginning and end marked by the two religious dialogue songs, each shared between the male and female voice. The arrangement is extraordinarily effective. After the first group of secular songs, which deals (mostly) with the trials and tribulations of love, the listener seems to be entering (and later leaving) a shadowy cathedral where, well away from the hassles of everyday life, the atmosphere is intensely focussed on human frailty and suffering, adoration and submission. Secular songs in which death plays a role come in the immediate aftermath of the religious interlude, as though the cathedral experience has led to a more thoughtful, and generally more sombre, mood. Not that the mood is ever particularly light. The love affairs are mostly pretty fraught, the protagonists consumed by burning passion, or plunged into the depths of despair, or maybe just expressing cynical resignation; even the few who appear to be in stable relationships are haunted by feelings of guilt, or unable to clinch things, or whatever. There are some tranquil moments, and occasional flashes of gaiety, but the overall effect is far from tranquil or gay! The female roles are divided between Birgid Steinbergers attractively light (perhaps a little too light when things really start boiling up) soprano in the secular songs, and Michaela Selingers poignantly emotive mezzo-soprano in the religious songs, while Holzmair takes all the male roles. The Austrian baritone communicates a wide range of moods with consummate ease; his language is richly expressive throughout, and since Steinberger and Selinger are likewise acutely sensitive to text, the dramas pulsate with life. The Italian song-book is entirely concerned with human love-life and is sometimes described as being along the same lines as the Spanish secular songs. But it comes across as very different on this recording. When things go wrong on the Italian front, as they frequently do, there are no tortured psyches, agonised regrets, frantic defiances, etc etc; they are soon made up, or maybe the disappointed lover just hopes for better fortune elsewhere. Selinger and Holzmair take alternate songs in a performance that is a delight from start to finish."Report Abuse

Outstanding collectionJanuary 17, 2014By Ralph Graves (Hood, VA)See All My Reviews"Most of Hugo Wolf's slender catalog of works is lieder, and the bulk of his reputation as a composer rests with two massive collections: the Spanisches Liderbuch (Spanish Songbook), and the Italianisches Liederbuch (Italian Songbook). This new 3-CD set from Bridge presents both of these massive works with texts in both German and English. Both books are complete song cycles, although most of the lied are finely-crafted miniatures that can be (and are often) performed separately. Bridge presents these works in their entirety. The three singers involved provide variety, and in the case of the Italian songbook, an almost give-and-take dialogue between the mezzo-sopranoe and baritone as they alternate songs. Birgid Steinberger's clean, pure soprano has an ethereal quality to it that's exceptionally effective with the sacred songs of the Spanish Songbook. Mezzo-soprano Michaele Selinger's voice has a slight edge to it, especially in the upper register. But that's actually a plus. Contrasted to Wolfgang Holzmair's rich, honeyed baritone, it helps throw both voices into sharper relief. And in the Italian Songbook, Selinger and Holzmair seem to have certain chemistry that adds an additional emotional layer to these sensual lieder. This is a very attractive collection,. One can listen to any of the lied individually and hear a fine performance. But it's also structured so that you can listen to the song cycles in their entirety. And that experience yields significant insights into these masterworks. Well done!"Report Abuse

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